“Justice, justice shall you pursue” is the double injunction found in Deuteronomy 16:20 and is the centerpiece of this section of the Torah we call Shoftim (Judges). The entire parasha is Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 and begins by showing us, in...

Author Elie Wiesel tells the story of the one righteous man of Sodom, who walked the streets protesting the injustices of his city. People made fun of him, derided him. Finally, a young person asked:  “Why do you continue your protest against evil;...

Ekev also signifies “heel.” Every generation is a heel generation, in the sense that everything previous has contributed to everything we do, all previous actsrest on the heel of the present, and so every act, every word, every gesture, every mitzvah,...

Every parent has at one time or another instructed his/her child to “use your words” when asking for something instead of using pointing, grunting, crying, yelling or such nonverbal behavior.  Human beings are verbal creatures, and if children are...

“A person is given three names: one that their parents call them, one their fellows call them, and one that they acquire with their deeds.” (Midrash Tanhuma, Va-yakhel) The naming process is unique to each individual and culture, yet names...

Would you hire Bilaam to work at your Jewish organization? Let’s check out his resume.  Bilaam’s previous job titles include dream interpreter, magician, and most recently, prophet via ruach hakodesh, the holy spirit.  His most recent employer...

In the Tanakh, one can often tell quite a bit about who people are just by the meaning of their names. Eve comes from the word life, Abraham means father of multitudes, David is beloved. So when you learn that Korach, the titular character in this week’s...

Despite the miraculous journey on which the people had been traveling, when faced with deciding on whether to continue going forward, the people were afraid. They looked back on the halcyon days when a strong authority figure determined the...

It was Shabbat Naso, the longest parashah in the Torah, read in proximity to Shavuot, the great wedding celebrating the enduring wisdom given to us on a mountain top. We had prepared. Was it a complete gift, this wisdom, or did we turn ourselves...

Though it has been many decades since I was an incoming freshman in college, I remember well many of the experiences of that year as well as the three others that followed. One was the experience of rushing a fraternity and then participating on the...